Cannes Sets ‘Party Girl’ for Un Certain Regard Opening

More Cannes 2014 news is trickling in ahead of its main-slate-lineup announcement later this month. Party Girl, the directorial debut of Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger, and Samuel Theis, will open the festival's Un Certain Regard section Thursday, May 15. Last year Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring opened the sidebar. In January, Cannes announced that Olivier Dahan's Grace of Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman, will open the festival, which takes place May 14-25.

Party Girl follows Angélique, a 60-year-old nightclub hostess who still loves men and enjoys partying, but now as the senior member on staff, feels she has reached the end of the line. On an impulse, she agrees to marry her regular client Michel. The film is a portrait of a free woman who has chosen to live on the margins of conventional society, and delves deep into a France that is often underrepresented. The lead role is played by the real-life Angélique.

The three co-directors studied screenwriting and editing together at La Fémis, where they began collaborating. They received recognition for their short films, which inlcude Forbach (Cinéfondation Second Prize, Cannes 2008 and Grand Prix at the 2009 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival), C’est gratuit pour les filles (Critics Week 2009 and César Award for Best Short Film, 2010), and Demolition Party (2013).

Un Certain Regard typically spotlights new talent. The choice reflects the wish of Pablo Trapero, President of the Jury for Un Certain Regard 2014, "to present a passionate selection of established masters, young talents, and new forms of cinema," according to the festival. The full program for Un Certain Regard will be announced, along with the Official Selection, on Thursday, April 17 in Paris.

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